The outer skin of the fuselage in aircraft is essentially cylindrically shell-shaped, at least in a middle section, wherein the cross-sectional shape may differ, however, from that of a circular cylinder. In this configuration, frame elements extend preferably along the outer skin perpendicular to the aircraft longitudinal axis. In addition to the frame elements, the support structure arrangement for the outer skin may also comprise stringer elements, which also extend along the surface of the outer skin facing the interior space, perpendicular to the frame elements.
A floor structure arrangement may be provided inside the fuselage, preferably in the form of a cabin floor. It may also be a cargo floor, however. The floor plate need not be formed as an integral plate, but may be composed of various components or parts, or a plurality of floor plates may be provided. The floor plate may include one or multiple floor grates or may be designed as such. The floor support struts may be struts of any design for absorbing forces along their direction of extension.
In the prior art, the connections via which the floor structure arrangement is connected to the support structure arrangement are normally designed as rivet connections, in which one section of the floor structure arrangement overlaps another section of the support structure arrangement and in this area of overlap rivets are inserted through both assemblies, which secure both assemblies to one another.
Such rivet connections may be disadvantageous, however. On the one hand, an overlapping of the floor structure arrangement and support structure arrangement involves increased weight, which in aircraft construction must be reduced as a matter of principle. On the other hand, the rivets themselves also add unnecessary weight which, as mentioned above, is a fundamental detriment in aircraft construction. From an ergonomic point of view, the connection of the floor support structure to the aircraft fuselage structure is extremely disadvantageous. In this area in particular, an alternative connection technology, with shorter assembly times and improved access for production workers, would pay dividends.